Weekly podcast: Red wine ‘improves gut health’, and more

Tune into the latest edition of FoodBev’s weekly podcast, where we take an in-depth look at some of the biggest stories from the food and beverage industry over the last week.

This week’s podcast features a study which claims that red wine improves gut health, a trio of executive appointments, a significant acquisition in the high-protein snack space, and more.

One of the most significant stories this week saw the Hershey Company acquire high-protein snack bar maker One Brands for $397 million, just a week after Hershey opted to acquire a minority stake in Irish protein bar producer Fulfil.

Moving away from snacks, there was another major acquisition in the alcohol sector, as Pernod Ricard acquired spirits manufacturer Castle Brands for around $223m.

Staying in the alcohol sector, a particularly interesting study was released by King’s College London, which has identified a link between drinking red wine and increased gut microbiota diversity compared to non-red wine drinkers. The study also found an association with lower levels of obesity and cholesterol.

There were also a significant number of senior appointments over the course of last week. On Friday, Premier Foods announced that Alex Whitehouse, the company’s UK managing director, has been promoted to CEO and a member of the board, effective immediately.

Campbell Soup Company also appointed former Chobani executive Mick Beekhuizen as its new senior vice-president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective from 30 September 2019.

Moving onto the manufacturing industry, agri-food firm Cargill has invested $75 million to accelerate the development of Puris, a US pea protein producer and supplier to plant-based burger maker Beyond Meat.

It seemed to be a popular week for plant-based products, a growing trend in the food and beverage industry, as KFC and Beyond Meat have created a new plant-based chicken alternative, available as both nuggets and boneless wings that debuted on August 27 at a single KFC restaurant in Atlanta.

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